Song Hae, a living witness in the history of Korean broadcasting’s popular culture, passed away on the 8th at the age of 95.
Born in Jaeryeong, Hwanghae Province in 1927, Songhae evacuated to Yeonpyeong Island in 1951 during the Korean War, and came down to Busan on a US warship. It is said that the deceased, who had crossed the sea road as a displaced person, decided to use the sea as his stage name from this time on.
Although his main occupation was known as a comedian, he made his debut as a singer in a touring band called the Changgong Orchestra. When he was in his twenties, he majored in vocal music at Haeju Arts College in Hwanghae Province.
He naturally gained MC experience while playing a role in raising the atmosphere by taking on the role of a host with a characteristic cheerful personality in a musical theater troupe. Since then, he has been active as a comedian through TV broadcasting, and has been active as a comedian and MC for 17 years by hosting the radio program ‘Wandering the Streets’ every morning on TBC Oriental Broadcasting, which has now disappeared.
Song Hae, who was on the verge of success, also had pain. In 1986, his 20-year-old son died in a motorcycle accident at the 3rd Hangang Bridge in Seoul (now Hannam Bridge). Songhae, who has one son and two daughters under him, also stopped his broadcasting activities in grief over the loss of his son.
The good fortune that came back to him after that was the KBS ‘National Singing Contest’. The production team of this program, which was first aired in November 1980, gave the MC position to Song Hae, who was then 60 years old at the time, in 1988. Excluding the 7 month hiatus (94) due to the reorganization, Song Hae was the ‘original national MC’ for 34 years until this year. He was called ‘Songhae oppa’ and ‘Sunday Man’. During this period, Songhae met more than 10 million people through public recording and shared the joys and sorrows.
Songhae and the National Singing Contest set records not only in Korea but also in broadcasters around the world. These include the title of ‘the oldest TV music contest program host’ listed in the Guinness World Records, the longest-lived eldest person in the history of an active Korean broadcaster, and the longest-running record for running a single program in a row in Korea.
In addition, he appeared in various entertainment programs and advertisements, and appeared as a cameo in a drama. In 2011, she showed off her talent by giving solo concerts across the country, and she was also a veteran singer with 12 albums. Last year, the documentary film ‘Songhae 1927’, which shed light on the life of the deceased, was released.
The Korea Entertainment Arts Awards Special Achievement Award, KBS Entertainment Award Achievement Award, Baeksang Arts Award Achievement Award, Korea Broadcasting Award Achievement Award, and Popular Culture and Arts Award Eungwan Cultural Medal made his broadcasting life even brighter.